Kazakhstan May 12—26, 2011
Posted by David Bishop
David Bishop
David Bishop loves his vocation and cannot imagine anything better than exploring wild and beautiful places in Asia and the Pacific in the company of friends and clients. H...Related Trips
Our 2011 tour of Central Asia (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) was nothing short of spectacular. We had a group of participants that tour leaders can only dream of, and found nearly all of the birds we could have hoped for, as well as some fine Shushliks!
This tour was something special indeed—a wonderful juxtaposition of vast, wide, open spaces and easy to see wildlife, some of it in great profusion, together with astonishing antiquities along the Silk Route in the beautifully renovated cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Our list of some 250+ species of birds recorded does little to convey the true essence of this quite different and, as I have said, very special tour. Some of the highlights of our tour included:
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Caspian Plover— Photo: K. David Bishop |
* Thousands of Ruffs migrating across the Astana Steppe, including large groups of males resplendent in their outrageous breeding plumage, performing their exotic courtship rituals.
* Close and prolonged studies of five critically-endangered Sociable Lapwings.
* Tens of thousands of ducks and shorebirds, all in their finest breeding plumage, thronging the wetlands of the Astana Steppe.
* The mighty snow-covered Tien Shan (mountains) towering over the ancient city of Almaty.
* Staking out a waterhole at the edge of the stony desert as dapper Crimson-winged and Mongolian finches flew in to drink within a few meters of us.
* Our nights in our lovely Yurt Camp in the Tauvum Desert.
* Fabulous studies of Caspian Plover, displaying Macqueen's Bustards, rare goitered gazelles, and great skeins of Black-bellied and Pin-tailed sandgrouse all within walking distance of our camp in the desert.
* The Tien Shan, crystal-clear and quite simply spectacular after a snowstorm.
* Evening in the woodlands of the Tien Shan watching woodcocks roding overhead while White's Thrushes sang from the depths.
* Fine scope views of the highly sought-after Ibisbill—the sole member of its family.
* The Silk Route, with a special tribute to the gorgeous antiquities of Samarkand and Bukhara. That Tamar lame was quite a guy!
* And finally, an exceptional view of the very desirable Pander's (Turkestan) Ground-Jay as he scurried around our bus in the middle of the Kyzyl Kum Desert.
Thank you Darryl and Lee-Ann, Al and Nancy, Anne, Evelyn, Nancy and Carmen for helping to make this tour such a superbly memorable trip. Thanks too, indeed, to my co-leader in Kazakhstan, Machiel Valkenburg of Central Asian Birding, who was a charm and from whom I learned so much; our outstanding drivers who not only drove us safely and comfortably, but also with great humor; and, of course, our outstanding guide, Zack, in Uzbekistan. All these people were ably and wonderfully supported by local experts, as well as two lovely ladies who organized things seamlessly and provided some wonderful al fresco meals in the field.
Thank you everyone. I cannot wait to return.